There is a small town called Paʋlopetri, in the Peloponnese region of southern Greece, where a nearby ancient city dating back 5,000 years resides.
However, this is not a typical archaeological site, the city is located about 4 meters below the water and is believed to be the oldest known submerged city in the world.
The community is incredibly well built with roads, two stories with parks, temples, a cemetery, and a complex water management system that includes canals and water pipes.
3D reconstruction image of the sunken cityIn the center of the city, there is a square or plaza of about 40×20 meters and in most of the buildings up to 12 rooms have been found inside. The design of this city exceeds the design of many cities today.
The city is so old that it existed in the period in which the famous ancient Greek epic poem ‘Iliad’ takes place.
Research in 2009 revealed that the site spans approximately 9 acres and evidence shows that it had been inhabited before 2800 BC.
Scientists estimate that the city sank around 1000 BC due to earthquakes that changed the ground.
However, despite this and even after 5000 years, the layout of the city is still clearly ʋisiƄle and at least 15 buildings have been found.
The layout of the city is so clear that the head of the archaeological team, John Henderson of the University of Nottingham, and his team have been able to create what they believe to be an extremely accurate 3D reconstruction of the city, which can be seen in the ʋvideos below.
Historians believe that the ancient city had been a center of commerce for the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations.
Scattered throughout the place are large storage containers made of clay, statues, everyday tools, and other artifacts.
The name of the city is currently unknown, as well as its exact function in the ancient world.
The featured image shows the original foundations of the city behind, below the reconstructed pillars and walls of one of the buildings.
